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Mission Grey Daily Brief - October 21, 2024

Summary of the Global Situation for Businesses and Investors

The global situation remains highly volatile, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine continuing to strain the country's economy and military capabilities. North Korea's involvement in the conflict highlights Russia's manpower limits and weaknesses in its economy. Meanwhile, migration continues to be a pressing issue, with thousands of migrants departing for the US from Mexico and calls for the return of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Iran's potential shift in strategy and political unrest in Japan also warrant attention.

Russia's Economy and Military Capabilities

The Russian economy is facing significant challenges due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Analysts predict that the economy will struggle to sustain the war, with Western sanctions, a brain drain of talent, and war casualties contributing to a tight labor market and high inflation. The defense industry and military mobilization are occupying a greater share of the working-age population, limiting President Vladimir Putin's ability to raise more troops.

Reports of North Korea's involvement in the conflict underscore Russia's manpower constraints and the underlying weakness of its economy. South Korea's intelligence service has confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Ukraine's Donetsk region, supporting Russian forces. This direct military cooperation indicates the severity of Russia's manpower shortages.

Moscow and Pyongyang have denied troop exchanges, but analysts point to the economy's underlying weakness, which appears stronger due to enormous defense spending. Stefan Hedlund, a professor of Russian studies, predicts that the Russian economy will face immense stress and a grim future as exports of oil, gas, and weapons—traditionally top sources of revenue—are under severe pressure.

Migration and the Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

Migration continues to be a significant issue, with thousands of migrants departing for the US from Mexico in the weeks before the US election. This large-scale migration raises concerns about border security and the potential impact on the election.

In Gaza, the death of Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war between Israel and Hamas, has prompted calls for the return of hostages held by Hamas and an end to the war. US President Joe Biden has called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, emphasizing the need to improve the situation for the whole world. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East to discuss a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal.

Iran's Potential Shift in Strategy

Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has expressed concern about Iran's potential shift in strategy, stating that Iran is rethinking its capacity to inflict pain directly. This statement raises questions about Iran's intentions and potential actions, particularly in the context of ongoing tensions in the region.

Political Unrest in Japan

Japan is experiencing political unrest ahead of the October 27 general election. A man threw firebombs at the headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and crashed a van into a barrier near the prime minister's office. The man's father expressed dissatisfaction with Japan's electoral system, where candidates are required to deposit large sums of money to run in elections.

The incidents have prompted calls for increased security and a focus on addressing the underlying issues that led to the unrest. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of the people and restoring public trust in the ruling party.

Cameroon's Separatist Conflict and its Impact on Education

Cameroon's separatist conflict has forced hundreds of thousands of students out of education, highlighting the devastating impact of the conflict on the country's education system. The conflict has disrupted the lives of students and threatens their future prospects.

Efforts to resolve the conflict and restore access to education are crucial to addressing the immediate needs of the affected students and ensuring their long-term well-being and development.


Further Reading:

A group of 2,000 migrants in southern Mexico depart for the U.S. weeks before election - Toronto Star

Bird-Flu Discovery At North Macedonia's Main Zoo Raises Regional Concerns - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Cameroon’s separatist conflict forces hundreds of thousands of students out of education - Toronto Star

Iran is 'rethinking their capacity to inflict pain' directly, says Mike Pompeo - Fox News

Kyiv launches more than 100 drones over Russia; missile strike on Ukraine injures 17 - ABC News

Man throws firebombs at LDP HQ, crashes van at prime minister's office - Kyodo News Plus

Migrants Return From Albania To Italy After Court Ruling - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Putin turns to North Korean troops as Russia’s economy heads for a ‘meltdown’ - Fortune

U.S. 'Highly Concerned' About Reports Of North Korean Troops Joining Russians In Ukraine - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Themes around the World:

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Sanctions and secondary tariff enforcement

U.S. sanctions policy is broadening beyond entity listings toward “secondary” trade pressure, increasing exposure for banks, shippers, and manufacturers tied to Iran/Russia-linked trade flows. Businesses face higher screening costs, disrupted payment channels, and potential retaliatory measures from partners.

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Institutional and legal-policy volatility

Moves by the legislature to influence Constitutional Court appointments and broader governance debates underscore institutional risk. For investors, this can translate into less predictable judicial review, permitting outcomes, and enforcement consistency—especially in regulated sectors like mining, environment, and infrastructure.

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Food import inspections disrupt logistics

New food-safety inspection rules (Decree 46) triggered major port and border congestion: 700+ consignments (~300,000 tonnes) stalled in late January and 1,800+ containers stuck at Cat Lai. Compliance uncertainty raises lead times, storage costs and inflation risks.

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Foreign investment scrutiny and approvals

National-security sensitivities (e.g., critical infrastructure and strategic assets) keep FIRB review stringent, affecting deal timelines, conditions and ownership structures. Investors should plan for pre-lodgement engagement, mitigation undertakings, and heightened scrutiny of state-linked capital sources.

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Import quotas for fuels tighten

Indonesia’s import caps are affecting private retailers, with Shell reporting work with government on 2026 fuel import quotas amid station shortages. Coupled with policy to stop diesel import permits for private stations, firms face supply disruptions, higher working capital needs, and reliance on Pertamina.

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Data sovereignty and EU compliance

Finland’s role as a ‘safe harbor’ for sensitive European workloads, including large cloud investments, strengthens trust for enterprise XR data and simulation IP. International firms still need robust GDPR, security auditing, and third-country vendor risk management in procurement and hosting decisions.

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Riesgos de seguridad y continuidad

La violencia criminal y extorsión siguen siendo un riesgo estructural para operaciones, transporte y personal, especialmente en corredores industriales y logísticos. Incrementa costos de seguros, seguridad privada y cumplimiento, y puede provocar interrupciones de proveedores y rutas, afectando puntualidad exportadora.

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Natural gas expansion, export pathways

Offshore gas output remains a strategic stabilizer; new long-term contracts and export infrastructure (including links to Egypt) advance regional energy trade. For industry, this supports power reliability and petrochemicals, but geopolitical interruptions and regulatory directives can still trigger temporary shutdowns.

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Orta Koridor lojistik fırsatı

Trans-Hazar Orta Koridoru, Çin‑Avrupa transit süresini deniz yolundaki 35–50 günden 18–25 güne düşürebiliyor. Türkiye’nin demiryolu/liman bağlantıları, depolama ve gümrük verimliliği yatırımları önem kazanıyor; kapasite darboğazı ve sınır geçiş gecikmeleri operasyonel risk.

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Высокий риск реинвестиций и выхода

Российские власти сигнализируют, что возвращение иностранцев будет избирательным: «ниши заняты», условия различат «корректный» и «некорректный» уход. Это повышает риски репатриации прибыли, правоприменения и предсказуемости правил для инвестиций и M&A.

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Port and logistics labor fragility

U.S. supply chains remain exposed to labor negotiations and operational constraints at major ports and logistics nodes. Even localized disruptions can ripple into inventory shortages, demurrage costs, and missed delivery windows, pushing firms toward diversification, buffering, and nearshore warehousing.

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BoJ tightening and funding costs

Markets increasingly expect the BoJ to move from 0.75% toward ~1% by mid-2026, balancing inflation, wages and yen weakness. Higher domestic rates raise corporate funding costs, reprice real estate and infrastructure finance, and alter cross-border carry-trade dynamics.

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Dollar hedging costs surge

Foreign investors are increasing USD hedge ratios, amplifying dollar swings even without mass Treasury selling. Higher FX-hedging costs reshape portfolio allocation, pricing of long-term supply contracts, and can reduce inward investment appetite while raising working-capital volatility for importers.

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Non-tariff barrier negotiations intensify

US demands faster movement on digital-platform rules, agricultural quarantine/market access, auto and pharma certifications, and mapping-data export issues. Stalled Korea–US FTA Joint Committee talks heighten regulatory risk for US and third-country firms operating in Korea and exporting onward.

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Energy security via long LNG

Japan is locking in long-duration LNG supply, including a 27-year JERA–QatarEnergy deal for ~3 Mtpa from 2028 and potential Japanese equity in Qatar’s North Field South. This supports power reliability for data centers/semiconductors but reduces fuel flexibility via destination clauses.

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Gas expansion and contested offshore resources

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are advancing the Dorra/Durra offshore gas project, targeting 1 bcf/d gas and 84,000 bpd condensate, despite Iran’s claims. EPC and consultancy tenders are moving, creating opportunities but adding geopolitical, legal, and security risk to contracts.

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FX regime and liquidity risks

Despite stronger reserves, businesses still face exposure to FX volatility, repatriation timing, and episodic liquidity squeezes as reforms deepen. Pricing, hedging, and local sourcing strategies remain critical, especially for import-intensive sectors and foreign-funded projects.

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Disinflation Path and Rates

The CBRT and IMF signal continued disinflation but still-high prices: inflation fell from 49.4% (Sep 2024) to 30.9% (Dec 2025), with end‑2026 seen near ~23%. Policy-rate cuts remain gradual, shaping demand, credit, and business financing costs.

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Energy finance, Aramco expansion

Aramco’s $4bn bond issuance signals sustained global capital access to fund upstream, downstream chemicals, and new-energy investments. For traders and industrial users, this supports feedstock reliability and petrochemical capacity, while policy shifts and OPEC+ dynamics keep price volatility elevated.

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Data security and cross-border flows

China’s data-security regime continues tightening around cross-border transfers, localization, and security assessments for “important data.” Multinationals face higher compliance costs, audit exposure, and potential disruption to global IT architectures, analytics, HR systems, and cloud-based operations.

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Oil export concentration to China

Iran’s crude exports remain resilient but highly concentrated: about 46.9 million barrels in January 2026 (~1.51 mb/d), with China absorbing most volumes via relabeling and ship‑to‑ship transfers (often through Malaysia). Any enforcement shift could rapidly reprice Asian feedstocks and freight.

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Cross-strait security and blockade risk

Escalating PLA air‑sea operations and Taiwan’s drills raise probability of disruption in the Taiwan Strait. Any quarantine or blockade scenario would delay container flows, spike marine insurance, and force costly rerouting for electronics, machinery, and intermediate goods supply chains.

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Industrial policy reshoring incentives

CHIPS/IRA-style subsidies, procurement preferences, and accelerated permitting are steering investment toward U.S. manufacturing, energy, and AI infrastructure. Multinationals must optimize site selection, local-content strategies, and subsidy compliance while anticipating partner-country countermeasures.

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Concessões e PPPs de infraestrutura

O leilão do Aeroporto do Galeão (mínimo de R$ 932 milhões; outorga variável de 20% da receita bruta até 2039) sinaliza continuidade da agenda de concessões, criando oportunidades para operadores e fundos. Porém, reequilíbrios contratuais e intervenção regulatória seguem no radar.

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Turizm döviz girişi ve talep

2025 turizm geliri 65,23 milyar $ (+%6,8), ziyaretçi 63,9 milyon (+%2,7). Güçlü döviz girişi cari dengeyi ve hizmet sektörünü destekliyor; perakende, konaklama ve lojistikte kapasite planlamasını etkiliyor. Bölgesel gerilimler talepte ani düşüş riski taşır.

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Critical minerals industrial policy shift

Canberra is accelerating strategic-minerals policy via a A$1.2bn reserve, production tax incentives and project finance, amid allied price-floor talks. Heightened FIRB scrutiny of Chinese stakes and governance disputes increase compliance risk but expand opportunities for allied offtakes and processing investment.

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Riesgo arancelario y T‑MEC

La política comercial de EE. UU. y la revisión del T‑MEC elevan incertidumbre para exportadores. Aranceles a autos mexicanos (25% desde 2025) ya redujeron exportaciones (~‑3% en 2025) y empleo, afectando decisiones de inversión y contratos de suministro.

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Financial compliance, post-greylist tightening

After exiting FATF greylisting and EU high-risk listing, regulators are tightening AML/CFT oversight. The FIC is moving to require richer geographic and group-structure disclosures for accountable institutions, increasing compliance workloads, KYC expectations and potential enforcement exposure for cross-border groups.

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Energy policy boosts LNG exports

A shift toward faster permitting and “regular order” approvals for LNG terminals and non-FTA exports signals higher medium-term US gas supply to Europe and Asia. This supports long-term contracting but can raise domestic price volatility and regulatory swings for energy-intensive industries.

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Logistics hub buildout and PPPs

Saudi is accelerating a logistics-hub agenda: new zones, port and rail capacity, and 45 transport/logistics PPP opportunities (airports, truck stops, feeder vessels, MRO). This improves supply-chain resilience but raises compliance needs around concessions, localization, and customs-operating models.

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Deposit flight and confidence shocks

Regional banks remain exposed to rapid deposit migration toward money funds and large banks during stress. Even isolated failures can trigger precautionary cash moves by corporates, disrupting payroll liquidity, trade settlement cycles, and working-capital availability for importers/exporters.

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Energy export policy and pricing

US LNG export capacity and permitting decisions influence global gas prices and industrial competitiveness. Any tightening of export approvals or infrastructure constraints can raise volatility for energy-intensive manufacturers abroad, while expanded capacity strengthens US leverage and attracts downstream investment into North America.

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Fiscal outlook and debt path

Brazil’s primary deficit was R$61.7bn in 2025 (0.48% of GDP), while gross debt ended near 79.3% of GDP and is projected higher. Fiscal rules rely on exclusions, raising risk premiums, FX volatility and financing costs for investors and importers.

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Tariff volatility and trade blocs

Rapid, deal-linked tariff threats and selective rollbacks are making the U.S. a less predictable market-access environment, encouraging partners to deepen non‑U.S. trade blocs. Firms face higher landed costs, rerouted sourcing, and accelerated contract renegotiations.

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Stablecoins become fiscal tool

US policy is positioning Treasury-backed stablecoins as a new buyer base for short-term bills and a lever of dollar reach. This may shift liquidity from bank deposits, alter credit availability, and create new compliance, treasury, and settlement models for multinationals.

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Climate and cotton supply vulnerability

Cotton output recovery to about 5m bales still leaves Pakistan importing $2–3bn annually, pressuring FX and textile margins. Heat, erratic rainfall and pests threaten yields. Apparel supply chains face higher input volatility and potential delivery risks in peak seasons.